Buckle



H. H. BRAXT'ION.

BUCKLE. I APPLICATION FILED APR. 28, 1917- 1,320,835. Patented Nov. 4, 1919.

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HENRY H. BRAXTON, F ORLEANS, INDIANA.

BUCKLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 4:, 19119.

Application filed. April 28, 1917. Serial No 165,226.

. a citizen of the United States, residing at Orleans, in the county of Orange and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Buckles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to buckles and more particularly to a coupling device for the meeting ends of leather straps, belts, harnesses and the like.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a fastening or coupling device that will connect the meeting ends of a strap of leather so that buckling or bending or in any manner contorting the strap will be unnecessary. v

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this character that will receive and maintain the meeting ends of a leather strap in perfect longitudinal alinement in a manner that will prevent accidental disconnection of the strap ends.

The invention also has for one of its objects to provide a device of this character that will be as compact as possible, whereby the'device may be used onleather belting to couple the meeting ends thereof in a manner that will permit the device to travel easily over pulleys and drums without interfering with the driving power of the belt.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a buckle which consists ofcomparatively few parts and is simple in .construction, but durable and well adapted to withstand the rough usage to which devices of this character are ordinarily subjected.

For a full description of the invention and the advantages and merits thereof, reference is to be had to the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein is illustrated the preferred form of my invention, in which;

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the device showing the meeting ends of a strap or belt applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the same.

Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the device.

Referring to the drawing, wherein is illustratedthe preferred form of my invention, and in which like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views, a relatively shallow elongated casing 1 is formed by a bottom wall, 2 and.

a top wall 3, the same being connected by the relatively narrow side walls a and 5. In use, the device should be provided. in various sizes, to accommodate the particular width of strap A or belt to which it is attached. As shown by Fig. 1 of the drawing, it will be noted that the meeting ends of the strap A are extended into the casing and their marginal edges are in close frictional contact with the inner surfaces of the side walls 4 and 5. This is necessary to maintain the necessary rigidity at the point where the strap ends are joined together so that twisting of the strap will be prevented when the same is in use for any of the various purposes for which the device may be used.

The ends of the casing, of course, are open to permit the ends of the strap A. to be extended into the casing. walls 3 and t, however, are curved upwardly from the lower edges'of the said walls to ward the upper edges thereof, thereby causing the upper wall 3 to be considerably longer than the lower wall 2 of the casing. The top wall 3 is provided with two com paratively large rectangular openings 6, thus leaving a portion of the wall 3 to form a cross plate? while the end portions of the wall form the retaining bars 8, the purpose of which will be presently described. By virtue of the curve at each end of each side wall, each end edge of the bottom wall 2 is also rounded or curved as indicated at 9, so that a comparatively sharp edge 10 is formed at each end of the bottom wall 2. By referring to Fig. 2 of the drawing, it will be noted that this sharpened edge is in direct vertical alinement with the inner edge of the adjacent arm 8. This construction permits the device to be used as a belt-end coupling, since the sharpened or rounded edges of the bottom wall will prevent uneven travel of the belt around the face of a pulley over which it will travel, while the belt is in use. It is pointed out in this connection that the wall 2 may be proportionately thinner than that shown in the drawing to obtain the de sired evenness when used as a belt fastening. Within the casing, and integrally formed with the wall 2 is a pair of studs 11, one of which is disposed adjacent each end of the wall and directly in the center of each opening 6. The upper end of each stud terminates slightly below the plane of the upper surface of the wall 3, this construction be ing clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing.

The ends of the The bottom wall 2 is provided with a central rectangular opening v12 directly beneath the plate 7, and this opening is slightly wider than the plate 7, so that the ends of the strap will be permitted to project beneath the plate 7 and slightly into the opening in the wall 2, since, by virtue of the width of the opening 12, when compared with the width of the plate 7, the distance between the edges of the plate and the adjacent edges of the opening is greater than the depth of the casing between the inner walls thereof. Therefore, the thickness of the strap must be exactly equal to the depth of the casing, so that it will be snugly held against movement, but will be permitted to roject slightly downwardly below the plate T, thus facilitating easy attachment of the strap ends to the device. Each strap end is provided with a suitable opening to receive the stud 11, and the openings must be at a point sufficiently spaced from the end of the strap whereby the strap ends will be disposed in close proximity when they are assembled in the device.

Taking one strap end as an illustration, it will be noticed that it is first necessary to thrust the end of the strap through the end of the casing. In order that the end of the strap may be passed over the stud, the strap must be inserted at an angle, and this is facilitated by the fact that the edge 10 of the wall is in direct vertical alinement with the inner edge of the adjacent arm 8. In this manner, the strap may be thrust into the casing and upwardly as far as desired and then may be slightly bent and the end will be pushed downwardly and beneath the proximate edge of the belt 7 whereupon the strap will be pushed until the stud extends through the opening in the strap as shown by Fig. 2 of the drawing. Both strap ends will be attached in this manner, and a perfectly flat and compact unit of efficiency is thereby provided. I

From the foregoing it will be observed that a very simple and durable buckle has been provided, the details of which embody the preferred form. I desire it to be understood, however, that slight changes in the minor details of construction may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claim hereunto appended.

I claim:

In a strap buckle, a casing having its bottom wall provided with a central rectangular opening, the top of the casing having a cross plate of a width less than the said opening in the bottom wall of the casing, the top and bottom walls of the casing being spaced apart to provide an interior space of a predetermined depth, the ends of the casing being open, and studs mounted within the casing and projecting upwardly from the said bottom wall.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY H. BRAXTON.

Witnesses:

KARRY KAIsnR, OLIVER P. JOHNSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained. for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

